D. G. Howitt

The electron beam hole drilling of silicon nitride thin films

The mechanism by which an intense electron beam can produce holes in thin films of silicon nitride has been investigated using a combination of in situ electron energy loss spectrometry and electron microscopy imaging. A brief review of electron beam interactions that lead to material loss in different materials is also presented. The loss of nitrogen and silicon decreases with decreasing beam energy and although still observable at a beam energy of 150keV ceases completely at 120keV. The linear behavior of the loss rate coupled with the energy dependency indicates that the process is primarily one of direct displacement, involving the sputtering of atoms from the back surface of the specimen with the rate controlling mechanism being the loss of nitrogen.

MicroJoinery: concept, definition, and application to microsystem development

Abstract A new hybrid technology for fabricating, interconnecting, and assembling microdevices is introduced. This new technology is predicated on the creation of dimensionally scaled manufacturing and assembly techniques and has been coined ‘MicroJoinery’ as a descriptive designation. MicroJoinery, along with its collected ‘toolbox’ of associated microfabrication techniques, allows for the facile realization of a widely divergent collection of microsystem components including: fluidic microvalves, microfluidic interconnects, microreaction chambers, xyz positioning microstages, fiber-optic switches, etc. Additionally, MicroJoinery provides a new paradigm for design and practical assembly of microsystems. This paper explores the applications of MicroJoinery by presenting several examples of microdevices and microsystems tractable through MicroJoinery.

Nanopore formation by low-energy focused electron beam machining.

The fabrication of nanopores in thin silicon nitride and aluminum oxide membranes by water vapor assisted, low-energy (0.2-20 kV) electron beam machining using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is described. Using this technique, pores with diameters ranging in size from < 5 to 20 nm are easily formed. The nanopores are characterized by SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The mechanism of etching is briefly discussed.

Orientation-dependence of elastic strain energy in hexagonal and cubic boron nitride layers in energetically deposited BN films

Using anisotropic elasticity theory, we analyze the relative thermodynamic stabilities of strained graphitic (hexagonal) BN and cubic BN (cBN) single-crystal structures for all orientations of biaxial stress and strain fields relative to the crystallographic directions. In hBN, the most thermodynamically stable orientation has the graphitic basal planes oriented roughly 45° relative to either the plane of stress or strain. For cBN, the lowest-energy configuration differs for the constant stress or constant strain assumptions. Importantly, these most-stable orientations of hBN and cBN differ from those found experimentally for graphitic BN and cBN in polycrystalline BN films produced by energetic deposition processes. Therefore, the observed textures are not those that minimize elastic strain energy. We discuss possible origins other than elastic strain–energy effects for the observed textures.

MICROINSTRUMENT GRADIENT-FORCE OPTICAL TRAP

A micromachined fiber-optic trap is presented. The trap consists of four single-mode, 1064-nm optical intersection. The beam fibers mounted in a micromachined silicon and glass housing. Micromachining provides the necessary precision to align the four optical fibers so that the outputs have a common intersection forms a strong three-dimensional gradient-force trap with trapping forces comparable with that of optical tweezers. Characterization of the multibeam fiber trap is illustrated for capture of polystyrene microspheres, computer simulations of the trap stiffness, and experimental determination of the trapping forces.

Fabrication and characterization of a solid-state nanopore with self-aligned carbon nanoelectrodes for molecular detection

Stochastic molecular sensors based on resistive pulse nanopore modalities are envisioned as facile DNA sequencers. However, recent advances in nanotechnology fabrication have highlighted promising alternative detection mechanisms with higher sensitivity and potential single-base resolution. In this paper we present the novel self-aligned fabrication of a solid-state nanopore device with integrated transverse graphene-like carbon nanoelectrodes for polyelectrolyte molecular detection. The electrochemical transduction mechanism is characterized and found to result primarily from thermionic emission between the two transverse electrodes. Response of the nanopore to Lambda dsDNA and short (16-mer) ssDNA is demonstrated and distinguished.

Electron beam stimulated oxidation of carbon

The patterning of carbon nanostructures by electron beam stimulated oxidation is described. Sputter deposited carbon thin films and carbon nanotubes are locally oxidized in a scanning electron microscope using injected water vapor. The resulting structures are examined with scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The electrical resistance obtained postprocessing is comparable to the as-deposited values. Linewidths are demonstrated down to 20 nm along with sub-2 nm nanowire fabrication in sputtered carbon films. A carbon nanowire is fabricated using this process and electrically characterized.

A calculation of the theoretical significance of matched bullets.

Abstract:  The comparison and identification of bullets from the striations that appear on their surfaces, after they have been fired from a gun, have been practiced since the 1920s. Although the significance of the correspondences of these impression marks has been empirically justified, there is a conspicuous absence of any theoretical foundation for the likelihood. What is presented here is the derivation of the formulae for calculating the probability for the correspondence of the impression marks on a subject bullet to a random distribution of a similar number of impression marks on a suspect bullet of the same type. The approach to the calculation entails subdividing the impression marks into a series of individual lines having widths equal to the separation distance at which a misalignment of striations between the two bullets cannot be distinguished. This distance depends upon the resolution limit imposed by the microscope as well as by the visual acuity of the examiner. A calculation of the probabilities for finding pairs and triplets of consecutively matching lines on nonmatching bullets, by an examiner with normal perception using a microscope at 40× magnification, produces values that agree well with the empirical probabilities determined by Biasotti in the 1950s and when determined for larger consecutive sequences suggest that they are extremely unlikely to occur. The formulae can be used to determine the probabilities for the random occurrence of any sequence of striae and provide a straightforward way to quantitatively justify the significance of a specific match between any two bullets.

The Surface Analysis of Copper Arc Beads—A Critical Review

The chemical composition of arc beads has been purported to reflect the local atmospheric conditions at the precise moment when the arc occurs. It has further been claimed that Auger analyses, taken from beneath the surface contamination layers of an arc bead, can be used to distinguish whether the arcing was the cause of a fire. The hypothesis is that because atmospheric gases are trapped in the arc bead when it solidifies, the concentrations of gases inside the bead will reflect ambient conditions when the arc causes the fire, but rich concentrations of combustion gases when it does not. A review of the literature on the solubility of gases in liquid copper indicates that there is no scientific justification for this hypothesis.

An electron microscopy investigation of the structure of porous silicon by oxide replication

The morphology of porous silicon is studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) by making an oxide replica of the pore structure. Highly branched n-type porous silicon samples were prepared and a replica was formed by oxidation of the pores followed by selective removal of the silicon substrate to expose the oxide pores. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images confirmed many previously held assumptions about porous silicon formation, including the fractal structure and crystallographic propagation; they also provided a clearer understanding of the details of pore formation. The replica procedure also provides a platform for a more facile and comprehensive analysis of the porous silicon morphology.